


Blooms

by 796116311389



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221b-Consolation, Alternate Universe, Ficlet, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 07:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14327193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/796116311389/pseuds/796116311389
Summary: Stains were either the best thing or the worst thing and usually one's opinion was a matter of whether or not your stain had bloomed as it were.





	Blooms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nottoolateforthegame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottoolateforthegame/gifts).



> A 221b-consolation gift for nottoolateforthegame who requested the following prompt: 
> 
> "How about that soul mates AU, with Sherlock having what looks like a slapmark across his face, but then one day ends up at Barts and Dr. Watson cups his face to tilt it up and then John's just like "that was unexpected" bc Sherlock's cheek blooms with colour?

Stains were either the best thing or the worst thing and usually one's opinion was a matter of whether or not your stain had bloomed as it were.

Stains were black until they bloomed into a personally unique display of iridescent colour at the touch of one's supposed soul mate.

The majority of the population had black hands, either left or right depending on the person's dominant dexterity.

Scientists were still unsure if hand shaking evolved because of hand stains or if hand stains became predominant because hand shaking was.

After hands the other most common stain location was on the arms. Only about 8% of the population had them anywhere else.

Sherlock's stain was across his face. A black handmark across his cheek and partially staining his ear.

As a child he didn't think there was anything weird about the hand shaped spot in his face. It was like being a Dalmatian. Or having an eyepatch like a pirate. In any case, it's better then having a boring old black hand like Mycroft.

It wasn't until he started school that he realised something was wrong with him.

He came home his first day of school in tears. The other children were shaking hands trying to get their stains to change colour, but when Sherlock tried to join they started trying to slap him in the face. A stain like his meant the first touch his supposed soulmate would ever give him would be a slap they told him.

After that Sherlock stopped trying to make friends. He decided then and there a soul mate would never be worth getting slapped in the face.

*************

When Sherlock met John he knew John couldn't be his soul mate.

Unlike the rest of the world, John didn't seem to mind Sherlock and very much less wanted to slap him.

Which meant that he could never be Sherlock's soul mate, but a small part of Sherlock wished he was. John was perfect for Sherlock.

John would join Sherlock on his cases. He would giggle at crime scenes and tell Sally and Anderson to leave Sherlock alone. He would come home and be mad at Sherlock for making a mess, but would always end up either ordering take away or forcing Sherlock to take him to dinner.

To Sherlock they had a perfect relationship of give and take.

And it was slowly breaking his heart that John would one day shake the hand of a woman and be whisked away from him.

**********

John had been living with Sherlock for two months when the Sanders case came up.

John would eventually call him the Sandman Killer on his blog, but at this point it was just two random killings with the rather peculiar murder m.o. of suffocating the people with sand as they slept.

Sherlock had determined where the sand had been coming from and decided a little breaking and entering wouldn't be remiss.

However, he hadn't anticipated on Mr. Sanders also thinking that the night would be a wonderful one to steal some sand.

A fight ensued between all three men; Sherlock, John, and Sanders. Sanders wasn't a very good fighter, but he was strong and he was lugging a large bag of stolen sand around.

He swung it up and right into Sherlock's face, knocking him out, straight to the ground. John in a fit of pure rage adrenaline tackled Sanders, took him down, and zip-tied his hands and feet together. He then rushed to Sherlock who was just beginning to stir, dropped to his knees, and with out thinking reached out and cupped Sherlock's face.

*********

The first thing that registers as Sherlock stirs is John muttering to himself, "Well, that was unexpected..." Sherlock cracks his eyes open and gasps. John's hand is aglow like a fire opal. It's beautiful and Sherlock's heart plummets. It must have happened during the fight.

Sanders is John's soul mate.

Sherlock could cry.

John looks into Sherlock's eyes and gives the biggest grin. Sherlock can't smile back, however, and John's grin quickly falters.

"What? What's wrong?"

"You've found your soul mate." Sherlock replies flatly.

"Yes. Did you not want this?"

John looks worried now and Sherlock feels bad for making John sad about his soul mate, even if it's an awful person like Sanders.

"No. But I'm sure you'll be happy together in 20 years or so when he gets out of prison." Sherlock says to the wall refusing to look John in the eyes.

John for his part finally gets what's upsetting Sherlock. "Sherlock. Sanders isn't my soulmate."

Sherlock turns his head and looks into John's eyes in shock. If it isn't Sanders then that means...

Sherlock scrambles to his feet and over to the window they came in through. He pulls the window down and gasps at his reflection.

Across his face is a beautiful multi coloured bloom like a black opal and as he tilts his head this way and that his bloom shifts in a variety of colours like he has a galaxy on his face. He turns back around to face John with a look of sheer joy.

John is his _soul mate._

 _His_ soul mate.

John strides over to him in a few short steps and gently places his hand over Sherlock's bloomed stain. Sherlock leans his face into it and sighs, "I always believed my soul mate would slap me and that's how I'd find out we were meant to be together. I was so frustrated that you never wanted to slap me."

John gives a short sad laugh. "Trust me. I've wanted to hit you on occasion, but you're so wonderful and I love you. I could never hit someone I love."

Sherlock closes his eyes and leans down to place a gentle, chaste kiss on John's lips. As his lips barely touch John's he whispers, "I'm glad you didn't. I love you too."


End file.
